One of Their Own
by boswifedeb
Summary: When a long-time friend and police officer is gunned down, Matt and his friends look for justice for the officer and his family. **Immediately follows "A Daughter's Quest"**. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

"**One of Their Own"**

****Immediately follows "A Daughter's Quest"****

"**The fear of death follows from the fear of life.  
A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time."  
Mark Twain**

Mattlock William Houston stood looking down on the freshly-dug grave, the voice of the Chaplain drifting through his head, but not really being acknowledged by the private investigator who had spent the last few years working as an advisor to the LAPD. His mind was a jumble of emotions, the first one hatred for the creep who had taken a veteran cop away - from the city that he had loved and served, his brothers and sisters in blue, and his family. Fear was also present for the other officers who were now left to carry on, a man down. Determination was also lurking inside him; he had already promised the man's widow that he would find the person responsible for the senseless attack.

The widow was a complete wreck. Although she had known from the start that he stood a chance of being killed in the line of duty, she had never expected him to be shot down while off duty and shopping at the grocery store. Their daughter was clinging to her mother and was completely devastated.

_It isn't fair._ That thought was going through the mind of many who stood graveside paying their last respects to a man who had helped so many people through so many trials of life. He had trained a lot of officers over the years, many of whom were present for his last few minutes above ground.

Houston felt a hand gripping his own, squeezing it, trying to give him support. He turned loose of it but put his arm around CJ instead, pulling her closer, needing that support that she had always given him. A lump rose in his throat as the thought that the twins that CJ was now carrying would never get a chance to know the man that was lying in the flag-draped casket in front of him. He had teased Houston for so long about CJ, and then when they had finally gotten married, he teased the PI about kids. When Catherine Rose was born, he had been ecstatic, but it wasn't long before he wanted to know when there would be brothers and sisters for the little girl that he demanded to see pictures of every time he saw Matt.

As the flag was folded, taps played, and the final salute given, the private eye began to come out of his reverie. _"Go get him."_ He could hear the man's voice in his head calling out for justice. When the service was over he and Roy helped Rosa Novelli and CJ to the Navigator that was parked at the curbside and then went back to stand with several others who stayed until the casket was slowly lowered into the ground and the earth poured in on top. When all was finished, Matt turned to his friend Lt. Michael Hoyt. "I'm taking CJ and Mama home. Meet you at the office in an hour."

"I'll be there – so will Jennings and Trenton." Hoyt loosened his tie. His wife and daughter had already left.

"I'm riding with him." Vince Novelli nodded toward Michael.

"I'll be there, too." The voice of another longtime friend of Matt sounded. Larry Carlisle was white-faced with grief and anger. He and the fallen officer - Bob Peterson - had gone through the academy together and had been partners on patrol for three years.

"Me, too." Roy Houston usually had an air of calmness about him but not now. The fire of anger flashed in his normally twinkling blue eyes.

Matt nodded. "Be there as soon as I can." He turned and walked back to the Navigator.

"How's Larry?" CJ reached over and took her husband's hand as they waited for the light to turn green.

Houston shook his head. "Upset."

"He's not alone." She watched as Matt's jaw twitched, something that didn't happen unless he was boiling mad. "Baby, I know you're upset – we all are; but please keep your temper in check and think things through, okay?"

Although he didn't speak, he nodded and began rubbing her hand. She watched as he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled trying to relax. It was a quiet ride to the house and he stayed just long enough to change into a pair of jeans and a blue denim shirt, putting on a pair of duty boots before grabbing his LAPD ball cap and coming back into the den where he kissed CJ, Catey, and Mama goodbye. "I'll call you later. Love you, Babe."

"Love you, Cowboy. Be careful – please?"

Matt nodded and left through the kitchen door, going to his truck and pulling out his holster and pistol and putting them on before sliding behind the wheel.

Mama had gone to the kitchen and watched as the man that she considered as much her son as Vince got ready to leave. She crossed herself and said a little prayer – not just for Matt and Vince – but all of the others that would be working with them, trying to find Bob Peterson's killer. Going back into the den she caught a glimpse of CJ, sitting cross-legged in Matt's recliner, now ten weeks pregnant with their twins and holding her daughter Catey on her lap, kissing the top of her head while tears silently slipped from her eyes and down her cheeks. The older lady sat down next to her, putting an arm around her. The lawyer-turned-PI laid her head on the Italian lady's shoulder, not trying to hide the tears as Sheila Wentworth walked into the den.

"Is he gone already?" The mocha-colored face was creased in lines of worry. Both women nodded and the nanny sat down on the couch to CJ's right, reaching over and patting her knee. "They're gonna be okay, sweetie." CJ nodded but didn't reply.

Trying to change the subject, Sheila patted on her friend's belly. "Have you two been talking about names?"

"No. Matt came up with two really good ones." She gave a little laugh and dried her eyes. "He, uh…" Clearing her throat, she went on. "Right before the big showdown with Oxford and Hooten, he had climbed up in a tree." She pulled a tissue out of her pocket. "He really thought he wasn't going to make it out that time." The other two women nodded. "While he was sitting up in the tree waiting for Michael to move into position he wrote me a note. I swear it's about the most beautiful thing I've ever read. Who would have thought that he would come up with something like that in just a few minutes?" All three women smiled, as the PI was not known for his flowery speech. "Matt asked me if I minded if we named the boys…well, I can't tell you. It's a surprise." She gave a shaky laugh. "He made me promise not to tell anybody until they get here."

"So how was Tahiti?" Rosa Novelli smiled, knowing that CJ would soon be smiling herself.

"Absolutely wonderful." She smiled. "It's hard to believe that in just five more days we'll have been married two years. In a way it seems like it was just yesterday but it also seems like we always have been."

"You mean should have been as soon as you were of age…" Rosa laughed. "Oh well, at least you finally came to your senses. And now I have a beautiful granddaughter and maybe a couple more handsome grandsons."

"Houston keeps saying that they're boys." Sheila smiled and shook her head.

"I believe him." CJ nodded. "He's proved himself several times now."

"Do you really believe in that, CJ?"

"Mama, if you had seen what I've seen…you would, too."

"He's got me convinced after the rattlesnake in the barn in Texas." Sheila shivered. "You know, I believe he almost scared the poo outta Chuck." All three women laughed and then CJ explained what had happened to Rosa. "Are you convinced now?"

"I don't know…" She looked at CJ's growing baby bump. "Maybe if he's right about the boys I'll believe."

Matt pulled into the garage of the Houston Industries Building and parked in his usual spot, getting out and heading over to the elevator. After punching the button for his penthouse office, the PI closed his eyes. He had only had a couple of hours of sleep since getting the phone call two days before that Bob had been killed. He had flown his family back from Tahiti to Honolulu where he refueled the jet and then flew to LA. Although Vince had flown the leg of the journey from Honolulu to LA, Matt had spent the time talking with his best friend about what had happened. He couldn't sleep once they got back to the ranch.

The doors on the elevator opened and he headed up toward his office. Their secretary Chris Chase was off on vacation still and the office was officially closed. As he reached the top of the stairs into the main part of the office he turned left, grateful that someone had made the mandatory pot of coffee. The others were gathered at the bar. "Y'all heard anything new?" Matt walked behind the bar and poured a cup of the steaming brew, taking a long sip.

"Nothing." Michael Hoyt shook his head.

"Let's go fire up BABY and try to piece things together." Matt refilled the cup and headed across the office and over the back of the couch as usual, sitting down and opening up the computer that he used to help with his cases.

Carl Trenton had never seen the computer that swiveled up from under the coffee table, much less the blinds on the windows that closed and turned into a giant monitor. "Crap." He realized that everyone else had walked over and stepped over the couch just like Matt and he followed suit.

As he began punching keys, the PI looked down the couch at the men that he considered friends, two of which he considered brothers. "Y'all keep your mouths shut about what you're fixing to see." After a little more work on the keyboard he pulled up the LAPD computers. A minute passed until he found what he was looking for: the report on Bob Peterson's homicide. He read through it. "Okay, let's look at the security footage." He found that as well and put it up on the screen.

Bob had gone into the grocery that was on Glendale Boulevard, just one street over from his home on Silver Lake Boulevard. According to his wife Pam, they had been going to the store since they had moved into their home over twenty years before. They knew everyone who worked there by name. Bob walked in the front door at 4:37PM and stopped to talk to the manager for a couple of minutes before pulling a list out of his shirt pocket and grabbing a shopping cart. He went up and down the aisles, tossing items into the cart. His last stop was on the dairy aisle where he picked up a gallon of milk and then a carton of eggs. Suddenly he looked up. It was then that a suspect entered the view of the camera on that aisle and approached the cop. Bob spoke to the person and shook his head before starting to put the eggs in his cart. Within seconds he was falling to the floor, blood gushing from his neck and the suspect ran out of the back door. Matt turned off the video and lowered his head, closing his eyes for a moment. He looked back up at the computer and began going through the video from the other cameras.

Michael spoke up. "The shooter entered the store about five minutes after Bob. This right here…" He reached up and stopped the playback, "…is the best shot we've been able to get of him. Cheryl tried to work on it but the quality of the original isn't good; they're still using video tapes - keep using the same one over and over."

Matt punched a few keys and the sound of the printer in CJ's office could be heard. The PI got up and brought back the picture that he had printed out. Standing at the end of the couch, he reached down for the mug of coffee and drained it. "Okay, so he looks like your standard guy on the street: black jeans, sneakers, a black t-shirt…" He squinted and moved the picture first closer then farther away. "What is that on his shirt?"

"Don't know. Cheryl is trying to figure it out." Michael shook his head.

"Bob wasn't scared of this guy." Matt sat back down and began going through the rest of the footage. "Look…" He rewound the video a little bit. "Watch the shooter. See? He pulled the gun out while this lady here had her back turned and then he put it away." They all watched as the man went down each aisle of the store. "There…he did it again."

Lee spoke up. "He was looking for the right target."

The elevator chimed and Matt immediately closed up the computer, causing the images to disappear as the blinds turned back to their normal position. He got up and walked toward the lobby as reporter Tamara Placer and her cameraman Roddy Hampton got to the top step. She plastered the fake smile on her face. "Mr. Houston – I finally caught up with you."

"You need to leave." Matt's voice took on the low gravelly tone; Michael and Roy exchanged a look and headed back over the couch to help. They were quickly followed by Vince and the others.

"Our viewers…"She began again.

"I asked you to leave. As a matter of fact, I'm telling you to never come to this office again. Go."

"Perhaps Lieutenant Hoyt or Detective Jennings would…"

"No." Hoyt stepped in front of Matt. "You were asked to leave. Do it now." Jennings, Trenton, and Carlisle stepped forward and herded the two to the elevator and rode down to the first floor with them.

"Ms. Placer, you've been asked not to return to Mr. Houston's office. I suggest you comply." Lee opened the door and held it as the pair walked out onto the sidewalk.

Matt in the meantime had called the security desk in the lobby and left orders that the reporter and cameraman from Channel 12 were not welcome.

"Mattlock, maybe you should talk to CJ and…"

"No, Uncle Roy. I don't want to bother her. She's been through enough lately." He turned and waited by the elevator for the three cops to come back upstairs before using the lockout option on the elevator; that way no one would be able to come up to the penthouse. He went back in and pulled up BABY, this time making copies of all the files pertaining to Peterson's murder. "Like I was saying, Bob didn't take this guy seriously even though he was pointing a gun at him. Why?"

"Maybe it was someone he knew and thought it was a joke?" Trenton sat back down on the couch.

"Did the area around the store get searched?" Matt drank down more of the coffee.

"For the guy? Yeah." Lee looked around Vince and Michael at the PI.

"What about for a weapon?"

"Cheryl and Bob were both working the scene." Hoyt pulled out his phone and called the CSI techs. After a short conversation he disconnected the call. "They did a search but the two idiots from IA ran them back inside – said they were taking care of the outside. She gave them an earful."

"Why in the hell did this get sent to Internal Affairs anyway?" Matt closed the computer and leaned back rubbing his eyes.

"I asked the same thing and didn't get an answer."

The PI blew out a breath. "Well I'm going to go look around." Matt stood up and headed toward the elevator.

Everyone else stood up. "Mattlock…" Roy looked at the group and then his nephew as he stopped and turned around. "I realize you're used to working mostly by yourself, but this time it's a team effort. We need to get a little more organized."

Houston looked at the group and back at his uncle. "Okay – you're nominated to organize it."

"Alright. Vince, why don't you go with Matt and look for a gun. Michael, you and Larry go talk to Pam and see if she has any idea why Larry wouldn't have taken the shooter seriously. Carl and Lee: you two look around the neighborhood and talk to folks – see if they have any idea who it could be. I'm going to go back through what we've got here and see if I can make sense of it."

All of the men headed out to the elevator and Roy turned back to the bar and refilled his coffee cup before going back over to once again pull up the computer.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Matt and Vince drove north to the Silver Lake area followed by Michael and Larry who were going to be on the next street over at Bob's house. Stopped at a red light the PI broke the silence. "I'm worried about Larry."

"Yeah." Vince looked over at his friend.

"He's been through a lot in the last year. I thought sure that he was going to retire when Chris Simpson was killed." The PI shook his head. "I don't know how many times he's talked about it the last three years."

"This may be the straw that breaks the camel's back."

Looking at the clock on the truck, Matt pulled out his phone and punched CJ's number. "Hey Lil Mama – did I wake you up?"

"No, I've been up a few minutes. I dozed off in your recliner."

"You mean ours don't you?" He smiled.

"Uh huh. Whatcha doin'?"

"Vince and I are going to nose around the area of the store and see if the guy tossed the weapon."

"Baby, would you do me a favor? Please wear your vest."

"We both will. I've got both of 'em in the truck."

"Okay. Call me again."

"I will. Love you, Babe."

"Love you, Cowboy. 'Bye."

The PI disconnected the call and Vince looked out of the passenger window. "We both will what?" The speaker button hadn't been turned on.

"Wear a vest. Reach back there and grab 'em, will ya?"

Vince half turned in the seat, found the two vests, and pulled them up front. "You don't know how many times I've wished I had one on that day."

"I know. But maybe it was for the best. Look how things have turned out."

"I could have done without all the pain."

"I would be worried about you otherwise." Matt cut his eyes over at the man that he considered a brother as he pulled up and parked behind the grocery. Both slipped the vests on and patted down the Velcro closures. "You got a pistol on you?"

"Nope."

Matt motioned him around the truck and opened the rear passenger door, flipped up the back seat and pulled out a holster and pistol identical to the one that he was wearing. "I've heard of a change of clothes but a change of pistol?" Vince shot his friend a look.

"Just in case."

"What DON'T you have in this truck?"

"The answer to the question who shot Bob and why." Matt closed the seat back and pulled out some nitrile gloves, putting two pairs in his pockets and one on his hands as did Vince. The PI headed over toward the dumpster and met one of the store employees who was on the way out to dump a load of trash. "How ya doin'?"

"Okay. You guys here about Mr. Peterson?" The man looked to be about thirty and was wearing a shirt with the grocery's logo on it and a name tag that said Wayne.

"Yeah. The dumpster hasn't been picked up since then has it?"

"Nope – but there's a lot of stuff in there. Are you going to go through all of it?" The man looked at the garbage dubiously.

"I've done worse things in my life." Motioning to the bags that the employee had in his cart he spoke again. "Is that just from today?"

"Yeah, so far. We empty out all of the garbage at the end of the day, too."

"Can you leave that there for now? I'll toss in in when we get done."

"Sure. Mr. Peterson was a good guy. I still can't believe what happened."

"Were you here?" Vince had climbed up the side of the dumpster.

"Yeah, but I was working on the sink in the deli – big clog in the drain. I'll never forget that popping sound."

Pulling out the picture that he had printed out, Matt handed it to the man. "Do you recognize the guy?"

"No. The other cops showed me one about like that."

"Well," he reached into his shirt pocket for one of his business cards, "…if you think of anything give me a call at that cell number, would ya?"

"Sure thing." He turned and walked back inside leaving the two friends to go through the trash.

Vince sighed as he looked at the stinking mass of rotten fruits and vegetables and other assorted waste. Looking up at the sky he shook his head. "Bob, I hope you're getting a good laugh outta this."

"Ditto." The PI climbed up and sat down on the edge of the dumpster before sliding in, his feet crunching on something. "Mmph…rotten eggs."

Meanwhile Michael and Larry were sitting at the Peterson's kitchen table with the widow. Pam's normally sparkling blue eyes were red-rimmed and puffy from crying. "Hon, I know this is hard to talk about, but do you have any idea why he wouldn't have felt threatened?" Larry reached over and laid his hand on top of hers.

"I've been wondering that myself. Could it have been he thought it was a joke?"

"We've been trying to come up with who it could have been. He didn't touch anything in the store except for the emergency exit at the back. There hasn't been a hit on the fingerprints." Michael took off his tie and put it in his jacket pocket.

"Did Bob have any arguments with anyone lately?" The sergeant took another sip of coffee.

"No, not that I know of…he got along with everybody." Pam shook her head. "I appreciate what you two are doing but I don't want you to get in hot water with IA."

"It isn't just us – Houston and Novelli are checking out the area around the store right now and Trenton and Jennings are canvassing the neighborhood. Plus Roy Houston is working on the video."

"You guys just be careful; I don't want anyone else to get hurt."

At the same time, Lee and Carl were riding through the neighborhood, stopping occasionally to talk with residents with no success. Stopping at a drive-thru for some drinks the pair discussed the case. "I don't understand why he didn't react to the gun." Trenton had never worked with Peterson and only knew him as the older guy that worked the desk in the lobby.

Jennings handed a cup to his friend. "I don't know. And that's the only reason I can think of for IA to be involved."

"What're they gonna do to him? He's beyond a reprimand."

"I don't know – but we need a break in this soon." Lee's phone rang. "Hey Bridge." He swatted at Trenton as the other detective started making kissing sounds. "No, that's just Carl being stupid…ha!" Turning to his partner he grinned. "She said right back at ya!"

"Tell her I said hello." He relented then and started drinking his coffee.

"No, not yet...Yeah, he made it back and brought Vince Novelli with him…Uh huh, they are…Guess I'm going to look around some more…I'll let you know…You, too. 'Bye."

"You, too? You, too what?"

"Mind your own damn business." Jennings blushed and put the phone back in his pocket.

"So how is Bridgette doing?"

"Fine." The detective smiled. He couldn't believe how fast the relationship with the pretty blonde receptionist from the morgue was progressing. They had been dating since August and were already talking about marriage; Houston had been right. "Let's go see how Houston and Novelli are doing."

Back at the grocery Vince and Matt had spent an hour and a half going through the dumpster with absolutely nothing to show for it except for some nasty smells. As they were crawling out of the heap of garbage Larry and Michael pulled up. "There ya go, Larry – that's how you become a billionaire – dumpster diving." Hoyt feigned shock as Matt flipped him off.

Stripping out of the gloves the PI went to his truck and retrieved a bottle of hand sanitizer, liberally squirting some on his hands and arms and rubbing it in. "So what did Pam say?" He reached for the cooler and retrieved a Fizzy Pop for himself. "Y'all want something?"

"Yeah." Vince finished applying the sanitizer. "Got any beer?"

"Water for you." The PI tossed the bottle over and closed the lid on the cooler when the two cops declined. Popping the top he began drinking.

Trenton and Jennings pulled into the lot, walking over to join the others and reported their lack of leads. Matt polished off his drink and started to toss the can in the back of the truck but dropped it. As he bent over to pick it up he stopped. "That kinda looks like a trigger…" Pulling out his keys the PI unlocked the tool box in the back of his truck and pulled out a crowbar. After hooking the end of it under the grate on the storm drain he wedged it up. "Can y'all hold that?" Lee and Larry held on to the two corners that were now in the air as Matt went down on his belly. "Michael – call Cheryl. I think I just found part of the gun."


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

"…And what in God's name were you four even doing there? You weren't assigned to this case and YOU aren't even a detective!" Chief Whitaker addressed the last part of his rant to Larry Carlisle.

Houston walked between the four cops and the police chief. "They were out looking for a murderer instead of sitting on their asses, that's what. If you had the brains God gave a gnat you would have had them on the case instead of those two clowns from IA." Houston glared at the man who saw his time as Chief of the LAPD as more of a stepping stone to higher political offices instead of a way to fight crime.

"You weren't called in to consult on this." Whitaker leaned forward, his hands outstretched on his desk as he growled at the PI.

Vince spoke up from his spot next to Michael. "That just proves you're stupid."

"Who in the hell are you?!" Whitaker's voice cracked.

Michael spoke up. "Vince Novelli – he used to have my job."

"So how did you get involved?" The chief looked at Vince.

"He's working for me." Houston spoke up again. "We were accomplishing more than your lackeys here." The angry PI waved a hand at the two Internal Affairs detectives that had brought the group to the chief.

"You know, Mr. Houston…" Whitaker stepped out from behind his desk. "You seem to think that you're above taking orders." The squat man walked up and stood only a foot away from Matt.

"We've already had this conversation, Whitaker." Michael and Vince exchanged a worried look as Matt's tone dropped deeper. "Or do you choose not to remember the fact that you almost leaked the information on an important investigation to the press because you tried to give me orders?" He stepped forward, looming over the chief who began spluttering. "What's it gonna be? Are you going to continue to interfere when we're beginning to make progress or are you going to show a little common sense and let us handle this investigation?" He waited.

After turning and going to the window, Whitaker shot a nervous look back over his shoulder at Houston. "Well, uh…"

Matt's phone rang. "Hey Cheryl…" He listened. "I'm going to put you on speaker and let you repeat that." The button was pushed. "Go ahead."

"You found the trigger mechanism to a plastic gun…made with a 3D printer. It tested positive for GSR."

"Thanks, hon. I'll call you right back." He hung up the phone and looked at Whittaker. "You were saying?"

"Go ahead. But I want updates." He watched as the cowboy turned and strode out of the office followed by the others. There was silence until the group boarded the elevator and then a shout rose up and the men were high fiving each other.

Matt chuckled and smiled as he looked at the lieutenant. "No antacids today, Michael?"

"Nope. At this point I don't give a damn." Another round of laughter went up as the group left the building and headed back to the grocery.

As they got out of the van that they had been transported in, they were greeted by Bob Wisnewski. "How'd it go?"

"Not too good…for the chief." Larry laughed.

"Score one for the good guys. Well you might be interested to know that I found one half of the grip in that downspout over there. But it wasn't blue like the trigger it was black. So don't be looking for just one color."

"Thanks Bob." Matt pulled on gloves as did the others and went back to searching through every nook and cranny that could be found. Vince was the next to strike gold in the form of a barrel. Next was Larry who found not only the hammer but the two springs of the firing mechanism. Lee found the other part of the grip while Carl found the pins that were used to hold it together.

They gathered back at the SUV after their search had led them through the entire length of the strip mall. Bob showed them all of the parts that had been found minus the trigger that was at the lab. "Here's what it looks like all put together." The tech pulled up a picture on the laptop he was using.

"No wonder he didn't react – it looks like part of a spray bottle." Matt shook his head.

"So now what? We've got the weapon but not the shooter." Carl looked around at the group.

"But now we know which way he headed. And we also have the surveillance videos from the other stores." Michael lowered his voice. "Why in the hell IA didn't try to get them is beyond me."

"Here we go again: blonde bimbo alert at 6 o'clock." Vince cut his eyes at Houston.

"Let's go back with Bob and look at the video." Hoyt pulled out his keys.

"Houston, can I ride with you and Vince? I need to ask you something." Larry looked at the PI.

"Sure." He turned and headed for his truck. Once inside, he locked the doors, started the engine, and followed Hoyt out of the parking lot. Jennings and Trenton joined the caravan. As he looked up in the rearview mirror the PI scowled. "And now she's following us." Blowing out a breath he rolled his eyes. "So what's up, Larry?"

"I'm thinking about retiring…again."

"How many years have you got in now?" Vince turned around in the seat.

"Twenty three. I was gonna go for twenty five but…"

"Now you're not so sure. I understand." The former cop nodded. "Have you talked to Shirley?"

"Yeah, we spent half of last night going over it."

"And you and Bob used to talk about things like that?" Matt looked up in the rearview mirror and saw the sadness in his friend's face.

"Yeah, we did." All three were quiet for a minute. "I just…I don't want it to look like I'm scared, you know? It sounds stupid I guess."

"Larry, anybody that has got twenty three years in as a cop isn't scared by much." Vince looked out the passenger window.

"Who cares what anybody else thinks? It's none of their business. Do what's in your heart, bud." Matt turned into the driveway at the station. "Hope y'all are ready to run. Channel 12 is still right behind Lee." As he pulled into a parking place and cut the engine he spoke again. "I'm hitting the stairs."

"I don't have a pass." Vince looked at Houston.

"Screw the pass. C'mon." Larry opened the door and was right behind Matt as Tamara Placer lunged out of the van, stopping undecidedly as the group of men split into two groups – Hoyt and his two junior detectives going for the elevator and the others the stairs. Her indecision lasted long enough for the doors on the elevator to close.

Matt was walking down the hallway towards Cheryl when the elevator dinged and Michael stepped out laughing until he saw the PI at the end of the hallway already. "Damn. Here you go, Lee." He and Trenton handed the smiling Jennings $10 apiece. "Make sure you spend it on Bridgette."

Vince and Larry were catching up as the last was spoken. "What'd we miss?" Vince was slightly out of breath.

Michael rolled his eyes as he replied. "Oh, our brother from another mother just cost me ten bucks." A giggle could be heard from the PI.

"Haven't you learned by now?" Vince walked on past him and high-fived Larry.

Inside the lab, Cheryl had finished processing the trigger and was ready to begin on the other parts. Wisnewski came in, cursing under his breath. "A little help would have been nice guys. You just ran off and left me with the piranha." Matt snickered and set the others off.

"So how did you handle it?" Hoyt looked at the tech.

"The usual – can't comment on an ongoing investigation, blahblahblah." He began pulling the parts out of a large manila envelope, each one in a separate bag.

"Just so you know, it looks like the shell casing is in the barrel." Vince pointed to the bag.

"Good, maybe they got sloppy and left a print on it." Cheryl gave the former detective a smile.

"Guys, I've got the footage loaded up over here." Wisnewski was sitting on a stool in front of a computer and the group moved down to stand behind him. "Okay the first is from Coatsworth Cleaners. I'm starting it at 4:40." The footage rolled without any activity until 4:47. "There he is – and he busted the gun on the loading dock. First stop, the downspout. Now the storm drain." They watched as he ran out of camera range.

"Now this is from Far East Traders starting at 4:48…and there's one of the grips." They went on through the rest of the surveillance." At the end of the strip mall he cut back over to Glendale Boulevard. "Here's the video from the camera on the side of Hammerhead Subs."

"Somebody picked him up. Son of a bitch!" Larry slapped the counter.

"So now we know that more than one person was involved." Hoyt rubbed the back of his neck.

"And we know it was planned." Matt sat down on one of the stools. "They didn't pick Bob out beforehand – he was just the most high-value target." Everyone got quiet. Looking at his watch then at Hoyt he spoke again. "We need to get the word out. Somebody had to have seen something." His phone rang. "Yeah Uncle Roy." He stood up. "Yeah? That's great…Okay, hang on." Going over to another computer in the room he pulled up a web browser and then his email. Clicking on the one that Roy had just sent him he motioned the others over. "We've got the picture on the shirt." He enlarged the picture that showed a smiling hooded skull with a scythe.

"Guess I better call the chief." Hoyt pulled out his phone.

"Uncle Roy, you did good." He went on to explain what had transpired since they had left Houston Investigations. "Hang on a minute."

Hoyt spoke up. "We're having a press conference in one hour. He wants all of us there."

"Did you hear that?" Matt listened and a grin spread across his face. "Yes sir, I'll be sure to send your regards. And thank your friend for me. 'Bye." He hung up smiling. "He says the chief can stick it in his ear or whatever other body cavity is handy - he ain't coming." A round of laughter went up. "One of his friends from the old days helped with the picture." The last was said to Michael.

"At this point all help is welcome." He blew out a breath and took his tie out of his pocket and began putting it back on. "You Know Who is going to have ten million questions."

"Yep, but she might not like some of the answers." Matt turned and headed out of the lab.

"Where are you going?"

"Gotta get some coffee - my butt is dragging."


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Chief John Whitaker took to the podium, the team that had been working to find Bob Peterson's killer behind him. "Good evening. I'd like to make a statement and then we will take a few questions." He cleared his throat and began. "Tuesday afternoon the city of Los Angeles lost a long-time police officer to senseless violence." Droning on, he told what had happened to the sergeant and the progress that had been made so far. "I would like Lt. Michael Hoyt to inform the public of what we need right now." Whitaker stepped to the side and Hoyt came to the microphone. "As you can see here we have the image that was on the suspect's t-shirt. It's of a smiling grim reaper with a scythe. This individual was picked up on Glendale Boulevard in front of Hammerhead Sub Shop by someone in a green 1998 model Honda Civic. If you saw this or know who this person is please call us." Michael looked over at the chief and stepped back between Matt and Vince.

"Okay, I can take your questions now. Yes, Miss Placer." Whitaker beamed down at the reporter.

"Chief, is it true that Sergeant Peterson was under investigation by the department's Internal Affairs Division?"

"No he wasn't."

"It's our understanding that the investigation was originally being conducted by Internal Affairs. Could you tell us why?"

"Sergeant Peterson had been with the department for over twenty years and had many friends on the force. I felt that it might be best if the investigation was handled by someone who hadn't known him personally."

A reporter from Channel 19 spoke up. "And can you tell us why Lieutenant Hoyt is now in charge of the investigation?"

"The lieutenant and some other members of his team ran across some evidence and brought it to my attention. Since they seemed to emotionally be able to handle the investigation it seemed prudent to…"

"Sir, isn't it true that you had Lt. Hoyt's team arrested this afternoon?" Placer's eyes shone with glee when the entire gathering erupted in a mass voice of surprise.

"No, no, of course not…they were asked to come give me a report in person. There were no arrests." Whitaker tried to laugh it off but the reporters continued to peck away at him. Finally, the chief announced that the press conference was over.

On the way down to the garage Matt and Vince were both snickering over the way the reporters had badgered the chief. Once inside the truck, Matt called CJ to let her know they were on the way.

"You boys looked pretty good on TV…we were wondering if you were going to laugh out loud at the attack on Whitaker." CJ looked at Sheila and winked.

"Who us? Never. See you in a little bit. Love you."

"You too, Cowboy. 'Bye."

As soon as the two men got to the ranch they hit the shower and grabbed some dinner. By the time they finished up it was nearly 10:00. Yawning, Matt went back to the nursery and checked on Catey. He had barely seen her in the last two days. As he gently rubbed her back the baby woke up. "Daddy." She held her arms out and he picked her up, hugging her close and receiving a kiss from her.

"How ya doin', Lady Bug?"

"Missed you." The little girl yawned and rested her head on her dad's chest.

"I missed you, too. You better go back to bed and get some sleep." He gave her a kiss as he put her back in the crib. "Love you." Catey was already asleep and Tilly came out from under the crib, greeting him. After petting on her for a minute he walked back out into the hall and went to his own room where he was soon joined by CJ.

Friday morning Matt rolled out of the bed and dressed before going into the kitchen where Mama was in full breakfast mode and Sheila and Catey were taking turns feeding Tilly bones. "Daddy!" The baby was thrilled to see him and he went to her, giving and receiving a kiss.

Vince wandered in just as CJ came out of the laundry room, a disgusted look on her face. "What did you two get into yesterday?"

"A garbage dumpster." Matt sat down and Mama immediately put a plate full of bacon and eggs in front of him as well as Vince. "Thanks, Mama."

"Well please try not to get into one today." Wrinkling her nose up CJ leaned over and gave her husband a kiss.

"So what's the plan for the day – besides avoiding dumpsters?" Vince dug into his breakfast.

"Mmph." Matt wiped his mouth and took a sip of coffee. "I guess check with Michael and see if any tips have been called in for starters. Mama, this is really good."

"Good – have some more." The older lady put more eggs on his plate. Exchanging a look with Vince he dug back in.

A little while later as he was getting ready to leave, he pulled CJ into a hug. "Sorry our trip got messed up."

"Bob was a good friend; we need to get the jerks locked up. Are you okay?"

"Yeah…I'm sorry about yesterday. I felt so damn helpless just standing there at the funeral. But since we've started making progress – well, it just helps."

After a big hug she looked up into his eyes. "You be careful out there and stay out of the garbage."

"Yes ma'am. Be good, Lady Bug." He blew a raspberry on his daughter's cheek.

"Bye bye." She waved at him and then got a serious look on her face and shook her finger at him. "Be good."

Matt burst into laughter and then nodded and gave her a salute. "Yes ma'am." As he and Vince went toward town Matt's phone rang. Answering, he put it on speaker. "Mornin'."

"Hey – we had a couple of tips come in overnight but so far they haven't panned out." Michael hung up his jacket and sat down behind his desk.

"Alright. Vince and I are…hang on a second." The phone beeped as another call came in. "Hey, Rich."

"Houston – I need your help. We've got three major fires going on right now. I'm en route to one of them and just got a call from Captain Jeff Crown up toward Silver Lake. He's got one that is suspicious as hell. Can you take it?"

"Yeah, what's the address?" He jotted it down. "Okay, I'm on the way. Call you later." He switched back to Hoyt. "Michael, are you still there?"

"Yeah."

"I just got a call from Rich. There's a scene he needs me to take. I'll holler at you as soon as I'm done."

"Alright – just watch yourself in there."

"Yep. See ya." He disconnected the call and handed the phone to Vince. "Do me a favor and let CJ know where I'll be would ya?" He reached down and hit a toggle switch on the dash and a set of red and blue emergency lights came on in the grill of the truck. Another switch brought a siren to life as Vince placed the call.

"Hey, Houston wanted me to let you know he's going to be out at a fire scene…Yeah, Silver Lake…Uh huh, shocked the hell outta me…I'll tell him. 'Bye." He hung up. "She said congrats on getting to break in the lights and siren and to be careful."

The PI nodded as he concentrated on making his way through the traffic. "Vince, I'm sorry to drag you out here." He pulled up to a stop behind three fire trucks and an ambulance, rolling out of the cab and donning his turn out gear. After grabbing his air tank and putting it on he snatched up the clip board and took off running to meet up with Capt. Crown.

"You must be Houston. Jeff Crown." The two shook hands. "My guys tell me that it looks like someone set a row of cars on fire in there. The owner's a top-notch guy – takes care of things and doesn't mind an inspection."

"Alright. I'll check it out. Thanks, Cap." He headed inside stopping just long enough to put on his face mask.

Vince meanwhile was leaning up against the truck watching worriedly as his best friend went into the junk yard where the black smoke was billowing heavily.

"Vince? What're you doing here?" Sergeant Eric Lopez stuck out his hand.

"Hey man, how ya doin'? I'm here with Houston. He's working for the Fire Marshal on this." He pointed toward the smoke.

"I saw you at Bob's funeral yesterday but didn't get a chance to speak to you. It's a damn shame. Saw you two at the press conference last night."

"Yeah, that was a mess." The former cop rolled his eyes.

"Better get back to work. Tell Mama I said hello."

"I'll do it. See ya." He continued to watch as the fire seemed to come under control, but heavy black smoke could still be seen. Almost an hour later, Houston came out and swapped out his air tank and went back. At 10:20 he came out and spoke with the captain for a few minutes before leading two firefighters back to his truck wagging a couple of large boxes. Vince dropped the tailgate and helped them load the evidence.

"Y'all want a drink?" Matt popped the lid on the cooler. "Help yourselves. Thanks for the help." Shaking hands with the men he turned and began taking off his gear, Vince helping him with the air tank. Matt sat his helmet on the tool box and took off his turnout coat and the t-shirt that was now soaked with sweat. Grabbing a sports drink out of the cooler he popped the top, propped his left foot up on the floorboard of the truck, and downed the drink before grabbing a towel out of his bag and wiping the sweat off the upper part of his body.

"Excuse me." A red haired woman of about thirty with a camera around her neck approached the PI. "Hi, I'm Trina Jensen with Albright Publishing. And you are?"

"Uh, Matt Houston."

"I've been hired by the Firefighters Charity Association to help them put together a calendar. I'd like to put you in it."

Houston's jaw dropped as did Vince's. "You want to what?"

"I'd like for you to be part of our calendar."

"Uh, well…" Matt stuttered as Vince began laughing. Captain Crown walked up.

"I see you've met Trina." He smiled.

"I've just asked – I'm sorry, what was your name?"

"Uh…uh…"

"His name's Houston." The former cop was getting a charge out of the whole thing.

"Yeah, Houston – I've asked him to help us out by posing for the calendar."

"It's a good cause, Houston. We help out a lot of people every year with the proceeds. It's one of our biggest fundraisers."

"Well, I uh…" The PI's face was bright red. "I don't know what to say."

"I'll take that as a yes then. We need a contact number and I'll call you later to set things up." As the cowboy continued to stammer Vince gave Ms. Jenson his phone number. "Okay and which station are you with?"

"I'm an advisor to the Fire Marshal's office."

"Alrighty – here's my card. Thanks so much! I'll be in touch." Jenson walked off, got into her SUV, and left, while Matt was still looking shocked.

"So Mr. Stud of the Month, are we just gonna stand here all day or are we going to get some work done?" The former cop laughed again as his friend took off the protective boots and pants and changed to a fresh t-shirt and his duty boots.

"Shut up, Vince. C'mon, I've gotta get this stuff to the lab." All the way to the Fire Department Vince was tormenting his buddy about the calendar. When Matt pulled in, Rich was removing evidence from his SUV.

"I was just about to call you. How'd it go?" The captain opened the door for the two other men who were each carrying a box.

"Good. I've got something interesting in these." Matt indicated the two boxes.

"Alright, let's get this stuff logged in and we can talk." Rich led the way down the hall and turned over his evidence to the tech. "Meet me in the break room when you get done." Matt turned over his evidence and got it logged in, then the pair went down the hall and around the corner to catch up with Rich. "There he is." The fire investigator had a big smile on his face.

The voice of Fred Tucker could be heard out in the hallway. "Wait for me!" The investigator jogged into the room. "I didn't miss anything did I?" Matt shot him a questioning look.

"No, you're right on time." Fire Marshal Don MacLemore entered the room. "Houston, I've got some good news for you: you know we discussed your classes back in December? Well, I just got word from the powers that be – given your work in Army Intelligence, advisor to the LAPD, and as a PI, the number of classes that you need to take has been cut almost in half. But…" He paused for a minute. "You still have to pass the Physical Dexterity requirement and Basic Firefighting Skills. But given your track record I don't think there will be any problems with them."

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear that." Matt looked relieved as the three firemen laughed.

"Oh, and this belongs to you – don't lose it." The Fire Marshal handed him an ID.

"Thanks." Matt clipped it onto the front of his shirt.

"You're welcome. Guess I better get back to work." MacLemore started to leave.

"Hey, you might want to see what I ran into this morning on the junkyard call." The PI pulled out his camera and began showing them. "Whoever did this thought it out. There were four cars that the owner was going to get ready for the crusher today – they came in right as he was closing yesterday. Our fire starter punctured some of the tires, poured gasoline in them and gave them a wick."

"I've seen that once before but it was years ago." MacLemore looked at the pictures. "How did you figure it out?"

Matt grinned. "I had occasion to do that once in Iraq. But these guys were a little too skimpy with the gas. Although I'll give 'em this: they staggered the tires. They did one front and one rear on each car. Evidently they were running low on gas when they got to the last car. There wasn't enough gas in the last two tires to catch. He pointed over his shoulder. "Those two are in the lab."

"What about security footage?" The Fire Marshal continued look at the photos.

"It's in the lab, too. I was about to go take a look at it."

"I'd like to see that myself." As they walked up the hallway MacLemore motioned to Vince. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, sorry. Fire Marshall Don MacLemore – Vince Novelli – used to be with LAPD."

"Nice to meet you."

"Same here. Houston - are you gonna tell 'em about what happened?" Vince smiled at the nervous look on his buddy's face.

"Oh, what else happened?" Rich and Fred had caught up with them.

"Nothing."

"Aw c'mon now – don't tell me you're gonna hold out on these guys…" Novelli clapped his friend on the back. "Ole Studly here got asked to be on the charity calendar."

"Ah ha! So you met Trina, huh?" Rich and Fred both burst into laughter. "What do you think CJ will say?"

"Don't know." Houston was beet red.

"How's she doing? I haven't seen her since the marina fire." Rich looked over at the PI.

"She's uh…" Matt blushed and then grinned. "She's ten weeks along – with twins."

"Whoa! Studly is right!" Fred and the others congratulated him.

They reached the lab and went in to look at the surveillance video. As it began playing a young man could be seen climbing over the back fence of the junk yard. He went straight to the four cars lined up side by side in front of the office, pulled a knife out of his pocket, and proceeded to cut into eight of the tires before picking up the can of gas that he had brought with him and pouring it into the tires. Next he pulled eight strips of cloth out of his pocket, stuffing one end into each of the tires before pulling a lighter out of his pocket. After lighting the strips he threw the lighter and then left over the same fence that he had entered.

Matt rewound the footage and stopped it where the suspect came over the fence and froze the picture, zooming in on it. "It's the same shirt." He and Vince exchanged an angry look.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

After calling Michael to let him know what they had found, Matt and Vince went back to the junk yard. "I can't believe the stupidity of this guy." Vince was fuming mad.

"Well that stupidity may be just what we need right now." The PI put on a pair of gloves and walked toward the area where the lighter had been thrown and began searching as did his friend. An hour later Vince called out. "Got it!"

Houston came over and took pictures documenting the scene and then put the lighter in an evidence bag. As they were going back to the lab his phone rang. "What's up, Michael?"

"Kathy just called me. Your firebug was recording his visit to the junk yard. He posted it on WhoTube."

"You're kidding."

"Nope."

"How stupid can you get? Damn. Well Vince just found the lighter. We're about to see if we got any prints."

"Good." The veteran cop sighed. "You know it's usually hard to solve a murder after forty eight hours. This one looks like it's going to be an exception."

"I sure as hell hope so. Can you get Cheryl to email me the print from the grocery?"

"Sure can. Talk to you later."

Back at the lab the two friends stood by while one of the techs printed it. "We've got three good ones." After comparing it them to the print from the grocery he shook his head. "No match."

"Damn it!" Matt hit his leg with the cap he had been wearing. "Thanks, Yoshi. Would you send a copy of those to LAPD?"

"Sure thing, Houston." The tech turned and went back to work.

"Let's get some lunch. I'm starved." The PI led the way out and drove to his office, parking in the garage and walking around the corner to Ricardo's.

After ordering, the two talked over what they had so far. "We've got prints from two different people but both were wearing the same shirt." Vince took a sip of tea. "Then there's the gun and the lighter."

"I'm interested in the video. If we could trace the IP address we might be able to get him." Matt thanked the waiter when he brought their orders of chimichangas to the table and they started their lunch.

As they went to the office Michael called again. "Wisnewski tracked the IP address to an internet café on Glendale Boulevard about ten miles from the grocery. I'm on my way there now…hang on a minute." Matt and Vince had just boarded the elevator and were on their way up to the penthouse when the cop came back on the line. "We've got another one – they killed a priest at St. Ignatius."

"Alright. Meet you there." The PI hit the button for the parking garage and silently cursed the delay.

"How do they know it's our guys?" The former cop watched as the numbers slowly went down.

"Don't know." Houston stepped out of the elevator and got behind the wheel of the truck and hit the lights and siren as he exited the parking garage, making the trip to St. Ignatius Catholic Church in about ten minutes. He pulled down the LAPD ID from the visor and clipped it on the front of his shirt as he rolled out of the vehicle. The patrolman guarding the perimeter raised the tape for the pair who entered the door.

Removing his cap as his eyes adjusted to the lower light, the PI spied Hoyt on the right hand side of the sanctuary and made his way over to the confessional. Inside was the body of a priest about forty years old whose throat had been cut. "Who found him?"

Hoyt pointed to an elderly woman who was sitting in one of the pews, tears streaming down her face. "She doesn't speak English." He and Vince followed him over and watched as the cowboy knelt down. He spoke quietly to her in Spanish.

"Señora, are you okay?"

"I don't know. Who could do such a thing to Father Norte?" She was shaking and Matt reached out and took both of her hands in his.

"I'm sorry to have to bother you at a time like this but we need your help. What can you tell us?"

"I was on my way up the front steps when a boy ran out the door and almost knocked me down. That's when I saw the shirt – it's the same one they showed on the news."

"Do you know who the boy is?"

"No, I've never seen him before."

"So you came on inside and that's when you found Father Norte?"

"Yes." She started crying again.

"We need you to sign a statement. Just tell them everything you told me, okay? And if you think of anything else you can call me at this number here." He pulled out his wallet and circled the cell phone number on one of his business cards and handed it to her. "I'm sorry you had to see this. Thank you." He filled in the other two men while they watched as the woman was led out by a female officer.

"He left the knife." Hoyt pointed to the floor of the confessional where the priest's body was slumped over, a large puddle of blood surrounding his head.

"Any surveillance video outside?"

"No. The businesses across the street have cameras but they don't show the front of the church."

Cheryl Crawford came inside and met up with the three men. After hearing what had happened she pulled out her finger printing kit and dusted the knife on the spot, taking a picture and running it through a portable scanner. "It's the guy that did the fire this morning."

"Okay…I'm going to go take a look at the video from the junk yard and see if this jerk posted another video."

"I'll let you know if we get anything else. Oh – and Jennings checked on the internet café – nothing usable." Matt nodded and Hoyt watched as the pair left.

Back at the office, Vince made a pot of coffee while Houston pulled up BABY. Sitting on the couch, the two first watched the video from that morning that had since been taken down by WhoTube management. Rewinding it, Matt magnified it on the screen. "He's got a scar on his right hand…there." After taking a screen shot of it he started it again.

"Hang on." Vince pointed. "There's something on his left forearm."

"Uh huh." The PI took a shot of it and pulled up a photo editing program. "It's a shark."

Pulling out his phone Vince called Michael as Houston put the two images into an email and sent them to the cop. "That should help. And I've got a partial on the license plate of a '98 Honda Civic. A guy working on the window display in the sporting goods store across from St. Ignatius just called. He was trying out a pair of binoculars and noticed the car when the driver squealed the tires."

"Good. We'll be there in a few minutes." Vince hung up as Matt shut down the computer and filled two travel mugs with coffee.

At the police station, the pair exited the elevator and went into Michael's office. The cop looked up. "We had some help for about five minutes – until Trenton and Jennings got called out. I've started narrowing it down. I think these guys likely live in the Silver Lake area…" He worked the keyboard. "That leaves us with five."

"These two are probably what – 19 or 20?" Vince looked at the monitor.

"That gives us three." Hoyt started researching the owners. "Okay, first we have Caleb Denton, 19, 4277 Manzanita. He's had couple of speeding tickets. Then there's Lucas Franklin, 20, 9138 Golden Gate, apartment 3-C. There's absolutely nothing on him. And last is Chance Mabry, 21, 8862 Berkely, apartment 22. He's been popped for a DUI, receiving stolen merchandise, possession…" All three looked up when there was a knock on the door and the lieutenant waved Larry Carlisle in.

"Great timing, Sarge." Vince took a sip of coffee.

"We've got three guys that we're going to pay a visit." Hoyt stood up and pulled his vest out of the filing cabinet.

"Teams of two?" Matt jotted down the last two addresses.

"Alright by me. Sarge, want to ride shotgun?" Michael checked his pistol.

"Let's go."

All four headed down to the garage and geared up. As Hoyt slapped the Velcro into place on his vest he looked at the others. "Don't take any chances." Everyone nodded.

"We're going to start with Mabry." Matt looked at the address once more.

"Okay we'll take Denton. Let me know what you find out."

They started out of the parking garage and went toward the Silver Lake area, splitting up when they neared the addresses. Matt pulled over to the curb at the apartment building on Berkely. It was a white, two story building. "Looks like his car is here." Vince checked the tag number and nodded at his friend. As the two ascended the stairs that went up at the center of the building's front all was quiet. "Curtains." Vince let Matt know that they had been spotted. When they were two steps from the top the door to apartment 22 flew open and a man ran out and went to his right with Vince and Matt on his heels. The man began climbing up the trellis to the roof.

"Vince – call for some backup and keep an eye on his car." Matt went up the trellis and disappeared. Cursing, Novelli pulled out his phone and placed the call.

Meanwhile up on the roof, Matt saw their suspect as he darted behind an air conditioning unit. Drawing his pistol he cautiously approached. "Mabry – come on out – hands in the air. You know the drill." There was no response. "You're just making this harder on yourself. There's no need for you to get hurt. Just come on out."

"Screw you, man! You want me you're gonna have to come get me!"

"Suit yourself." Matt approached the side of the unit and carefully stood up on the connecting pipes and quietly stepped up on the top. Edging close to the side where Mabry was hiding he eased on over to the edge. Mabry was looking around the left side of the machinery. "Down on your knees, Chance." The suspect looked up in shock and then ran for the edge of the roof. "I doubt you're gonna sprout wings anytime soon, dumbass." Matt jumped back down on the roof and approached the young man again.

"I'll jump!"

"Okay, that would save the county and the state some money and at least we would know that you wouldn't be able to kill anyone else. Go for it."

Mabry gave him a puzzled look. "Cops aren't supposed to tell you to jump, man."

"I didn't. But if you really think that will improve things…" Houston shrugged.

"I haven't killed anybody."

"Then why did you run from us?"

"I thought you were here about the…" The suspect thought better of it.

"About the what? The cop you shot at the grocery? Or the fire that you started at the junk yard and the priest that got his throat sliced? Which one?"

"Man, I didn't do any of that crap!"

"So why did you run?"

"Look, I didn't do that other stuff."

"So talk to me like a man and tell me about it instead of running."

Mabry walked toward him. "I don't know if I can get back down."

"Go down the same way you came up…and don't think about running again. My friend down there hasn't shot anyone in a while and he's got an itchy trigger finger." Motioning with the pistol he watched as Chance Mabry slowly climbed down the trellis and then the PI followed him down. "Hands on the wall. Spread 'em." He cuffed the young man and then checked his pockets. "Now, have a seat." Mabry slid down the wall and the sound of sirens could be heard in the background. "Now, talk to me. You thought we were here about…"

"About the stolen purses." Mabry hung his head.

"You stole some lady's purse?" Vince looked at the young man.

"No, they were designer purses – or supposed to be. They were fake."

Matt pulled out his phone. "He doesn't have a tattoo. Plus his prints are already in the system. I didn't think about that earlier."

"Neither did Michael or I." Vince snickered. "Hey, Eric. We've really gotta quit meeting like this." Vince shook hands with the cop that he had met earlier in the day. "Would you check and see if this guy has any warrants on him?"

Matt got done talking to Michael. "They just now caught up with Denton. He didn't do it – he's in a cast up to his, uh…_jeuvos_ and ain't going anywhere in a hurry."

"So on to Franklin." The former cop nodded.

"He's wanted for questioning about some stolen merchandise, Vince." Sergeant Lopez helped the suspect to his feet.

"I want my bracelets back, Sarge." Houston waited until the cop had removed his cuffs and then he and Vince took off to meet up with Michael and Larry at Lucas Franklin's apartment that was just a few blocks away. They pulled into the curb at the same time as Michael. The lieutenant looked up at the building.

"One of you guys take the back and the other get the front. Larry and I are going up." Hoyt jogged up to the front door and Matt headed for the back of the apartment.

"Guess I get the front then." Vince smirked and shook his head.

Inside Michael and Larry hit the stairs and got up to the third floor, finding Franklin's apartment on the left hand side. Standing to the left of the door, Michael knocked. "LAPD. I need to talk to you Franklin." There was no sound from inside. He knocked again. "C'mon Franklin, open up." Larry tapped his ear and pointed at the door, indicating that he had heard movement and Hoyt nodded. "This is your last chan-…" The sound of breaking glass could be heard.

"Don't tell me the idiot's gonna jump from up here." Larry took two steps back and kicked the door right next to the knob forcing it open just in time for them to see a glimpse of Franklin as he scooted sideways on the window ledge.

"Hold it, Franklin!" Matt's voice could be heard from down below as Michael and Larry worked their way into the apartment. Just as they reached the window Michael felt the air move and heard a sound behind him, catching sight of a man running out the door of the apartment. He ran after the young man who was wearing a black t-shirt leaving Larry to guard the window and call for backup.

Vince, still in front of the building, heard Houston yell at Franklin. Suddenly the front door flew open and a young man in a black t-shirt started out to the street. "Freeze!" The former cop had the man in his sights. "Down on the ground. DO IT NOW!" He approached as the guy sunk to his knees. "Get on your stomach, hands out to the side, palms up."

Michael rushed outside and pulled the cuffs off of his belt and tossed them to Vince. "You got him?"

"No sweat." Vince hooked the man up as Hoyt ran around to the back.

"Ya know – you're the second one in less than an hour who's gone out on a ledge on me." Houston was looking up at the young man and saw the smiling grim reaper on his shirt. "Looks like you've got two choices: go back in the window or take a large step. What's it gonna be?"

The man didn't reply. The sound of approaching sirens got louder and Vince turned over his prisoner to a couple of officers who pulled up before going inside to join Larry by the window of the apartment. "This guy is the one who shot Bob." He said it loud enough for Matt and Michael to hear.

"You son of a BITCH!" Larry started out of the window but Vince pulled him back.

"Think Larry – who's gonna help Pam if you get killed trying to get this guy? Cool it." Tears streaming down his face the sergeant nodded.

"I've got the Fire Department on the way with an airbag." Michael looked up where the man was now sizing up the gutters.

"I'm going up on the roof." Matt holstered his pistol and ran toward the end of the building.

"How in the…never mind." Michael shook his head.

Franklin turned sideways on the ledge, his left foot in front of his right and began running his hand up the wall toward the gutter.

"Franklin – go on back inside. There's no other way out. You're caught – give it up." There were now a bevy of cops on the scene and Hoyt could hear the radio traffic. "Go on in."

Matt had seen the old antennae on the end of the building when they pulled up out front and went to it now. With his legs wrapped around the pole he pulled himself up level with the roof as a fire engine pulled in behind the building and started inflating the air bag. After a couple of attempts he made it up on the roof and worked his way over where Lucas Franklin was now dangling from the gutter on the back of the roof. As the young man swung his leg up Matt grabbed him, pulling him up the rest of the way.

Punching the PI and knocking him down the young man made a run toward the ridge cap only to be faced by four cops who, with the help of ladders from a fire truck, were coming across the roof. Matt regained his feet and was only a couple of feet away from Franklin when he turned and made a run at the PI knocking him down once again and sending both of them rolling towards the edge of the roof.

Grabbing the killer with his left hand, Matt held on to a vent pipe that was sticking up, preventing not only himself from falling off the roof but Franklin. It was then that the four cops grabbed both men and hauled them up top. As Matt got back up on his feet he watched as the cuffs were slapped on and Bob Peterson's killer was led away.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

Back at the station the press was staging a veritable circus. News vans littered the surrounding streets as reporters were stumbling all over each other along with their cameramen, all trying to get the best shot of the suspects as they were brought in for questioning. Matt and Vince were in the midst of a convoy of five vehicles and finally made it into the parking garage. As Michael waited on the elevator, Matt and Vince hit the stairs and were talking to Luis Sanchez and sipping coffee by the time the elevator made it to the fourth floor. As the officers took the men down the hallway to interrogation rooms, Michael came over and got a cup. "Enjoying a relaxing cup are we?"

"You could have taken the stairs." Matt took a sip.

"Heavens no – and give those two something to complain about to their lawyers?" The cop shook his head. "No way."

After taking a few minutes to catch their breath, the four friends walked down the hallway. "Michael – can I make a suggestion?" Matt stopped his friend a few feet from the door where the first suspect was being held.

"What?"

"One at a time; we all go in together. And you likely won't get anything tonight. We both know they're probably going to lawyer up. This needs to be clean." Matt voiced what Vince himself had been thinking.

"I know. But you can't blame a cop for trying, can you?" The four men entered the room where Alan Freedland was seated, his hands and feet shackled to the table as two patrolmen silently stood guard over him. Larry walked over to the small window that looked out over the street below where reporters were filing their stories. "Alan Michael Freedland, age 19. Never been in trouble before not even so much as a parking ticket. I want to remind you of your rights once again before anything else is said." Michael rattled off the Miranda Warning and then looked across at the young man. There was a knock on the door and one of the patrolmen opened it to find Rich Holt. "Let him in." The Fire Investigator nodded to the men and leaned against the wall behind Matt who scooted his chair back and propped his right leg up on the tabletop. "So what do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Freedland?"

"I want a lawyer." The young man sneered at the roomful of men. "You're not getting anything out of me."

"That's your right." Hoyt stood up and scooted up his chair. "Gentlemen…" He and the others piled out of the room leaving Freedland with the two patrolmen.

They entered the second room where Lucas Franklin sat, handcuffed and shackled to the table just as his friend. "Lucas Aaron Franklin." Hoyt rattled off the Miranda Warning. "Do you have anything to say?"

"Yeah, I got something to say." Sneering like Freedland, he continued. "I want a lawyer."

"Anything else?"

"No."

"Okay." Michael led the way out. "Rich, I'm afraid you made a trip over here for nothing."

"That's okay. I wanted a first-hand look at the two of them." He shook his head. "They both look like nice enough kids. You gotta wonder what gave them the bright idea."

"I might have an answer to that…or at least part of it." Lee Jennings came up the hallway carrying a box of items that he had brought back from Franklin's apartment.

"Let's go in my office." Hoyt nodded in that direction and the group went on down the hall. After the door was closed, the lieutenant sat down behind his desk. "What did you find?"

"Our two young friends were trying to start an internet game. They started out with simple stuff: knocking over mailboxes, spray painting cars, slicing tires. After they would post their videos, they would challenge other people to top them."

"So somebody upped the ante." Matt was sitting on the couch with a fresh cup of coffee.

"Several people. I did some searching on WhoTube after Roy called me earlier. You were busy running around on rooftops at the time. Not sure if Tamara Placer's cameraman got your good side or not." He added the last with a grin.

"Gee, thanks." Matt rolled his eyes.

"Anyway some of the other stuff involved breaking out car windows, then moved up to fights, and then some guy in North Dakota dared them to kill someone. And here we are." He pulled a couple of items out of the box. "Freedland's father has a 3-D printer at his car restoration shop. They made more than one of the guns. I've got two others here – both loaded." He held up the evidence bags. "I also found a video camera with some of their earlier exploits still on the card."

Larry spoke up. "So Bob Peterson died because of some stupid game?" His voice shook with rage.

"Double dog dare in the internet age." Matt shook his head. "Michael, I'm going home. Talk to you in the morning." He and Vince got up and started for the door. Larry was right next to it and held out his hand.

"Houston - thanks. You too, Vince." The three shook hands.

"Larry, go home. Get some rest." Vince patted him on the shoulder and walked out with Houston.

"He's right." Hoyt stood up. "I'm going to finish up the paperwork on this and I'm going home. I've had enough for one day." Rich nodded and walked out as did Jennings who headed up to the lab to hand over the evidence. Larry was left standing in the lieutenant's office, looking out the window where the reporters were still hovering. "You okay, Larry?"

"About as okay as I'm going to be."

"Are you thinking about quitting?" Michael was pretty sure that's what the older cop had wanted to talk to Houston and Vince about the day before.

"I don't know. Part of me wants to say to hell with it and leave. But part of me wants to stay and take idiots like that off the street. I'm not sure which one will win out. I'll be sure to let you know." He turned and quietly walked out of the office as Michael watched him go.

"You and me both." Drinking down the last of the coffee, he slid the keyboard over and began on the report.


End file.
